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fin

gal

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Chief Executive’s

Management Report Fingal County Council Meeting

Monday, 13th of May, 2019

Item No. 22

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S MANAGEMENT REPORT – MAY 2019

Contents

Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Development Tourism Development

Events

Heritage Properties

Local Enterprise Office

Economic Development

Balbriggan Socio-Economic Strategy

Local Community Development Committee

SICAP

LEADER Programme

Enterprise Centres

Operations (OPS) Street Lighting

Traffic

Traffic Management Schemes

Bridge Rehabilitation

Corporate Responsibility Programme

Programme of Works

Tyrellstown Park

Commemorative Grove

St. Catherine’s Park

Footpath Improvements

Hires Put in Place

Planning and Strategic Infrastructure (PSI) Planning Activity

Building Control

Project Talamh

Fingal Coastal Way

Rathbeale Road Upgrade

Ongar-Barnhill Road

Donabate Footbridge

NTA Allocations

Drumanagh Community Dig 2019

Building Control/Taking in Charge

Development Management/Forward Planning (Water Services)

Housing and Community (H+C) Housing Pillars I-V

Community

Sports

Arts Libraries

Environment and Water Services (EWS) Environment

Environmental Awareness

Circular Economy

Annual Bathing Water Quality

Litter Management

Waste Management

Climate Change

Aircraft Noise Competent Authority

Waste Enforcement

Anti- Dumping Initiative 2019

Water Services Operations

Corporate Affairs and Governance (CAG) Corporate Affairs

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Finance

Valuation of Irish Water Infrastructure

Financial Reports

Appendices

Photos of completed Malahide Casino and Staff

Canteen, County Hall, Swords

ECONOMIC, ENTERPRISE AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT (EETD)

Contents

Tourism Development

Events

Heritage Properties

Local Enterprise Office

Economic Development

Balbriggan Socio-Economic Strategy

Local Community Development Committee

SICAP

LEADER Programme

Enterprise Centres

Tourism Development

The Fingal Tourism Development Office continues

to work with local tourism groups across Fingal.

Fáilte Ireland are presenting their outputs on

signage guidelines from the coastal trail audit in

May.

Fáilte Ireland have postponed the engagement of

a consultant for the Coastal the Coastal Visitor

Experience Development Plan in order to

concentrate on Destination Towns, Orientation

and Food propositions.

A Seminar on ‘The Importance of Food Tourism’

which includes a Fingal Food Provenance Lunch is

being held in Swords Castle on 13th

May. The

Seminar is collaboration between DIT and Fingal

County Council as part of the Students’ in Action

programme.

Events

Dublin Bay Prawn Festival 2019

The Dublin Bay Prawn Festival takes place from

17th

-19th

May 2019.

Expect three days of sensational food and

entertainment for all the family - a terrific line up

of the best seafood restaurants in Howth

including:-

Community Village Hall marquee showcasing

Howth’s many local activities

Local Music & Arts with a Comhaltas stage in

the marquee

Traditional Bandstand with brass and pipe

bands

‘Capital of Adventure’ activities on the water

2019 Flavours of Fingal County Show

A presentation on the Flavours of Fingal County

Show was made to the Balbriggan/Swords Area

Committee, which was held on 9th

May.

A report on the application for Licencing of Event

in Accordance with Part XVI of the Planning and

Development Act, as amended for 'Flavours of

Fingal County Show' is being presented at this

meeting.

HERITAGE PROPERTIES

Newbridge House & Farm

Shannon Heritage hosted a Trade & Media

Launch at Newbridge House and Farm, Donabate

on 10th

April, to highlight to the market its new

immersive 'House and Farm' experience. This

signifies a new era for the stately home, Ireland's

only intact Georgian mansion and estate.

To celebrate the occasion TV and radio presenter

Ryan Tubridy delivered a live broadcast of his

popular RTE Radio show (Ryan Tubridy Show)

from the courtyard in front of a lively crowd in the

stunning 365 acre estate.

Malahide Casino

A ceremony marking the completion of the

conservation works at the Malahide Casino

Building took place at Malahide Casino on 30th

of

April 2019.

The fit out of the museum has commenced and is

scheduled to be open to the public by mid-

Autumn 2019.

Local Enterprise Office Fingal

Some of the Local Enterprise Office (LEO)

highlights from April 2019 are as follows:

5th Anniversary of the Local Enterprise Offices

An event was held in Russborough House in Co.

Wicklow to celebrate 5 Years of the Local

Enterprise Offices attended by Heather

Humphreys T.D., Minister for Business, Enterprise

and Innovation; Pat Breen T.D., Minister for Trade,

Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market

and Data Protection; and Oisin Geoghegan, Chair

of the LEO Network and Head of Enterprise at

LEO Fingal.

The search for Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur

continued in April with the 16 Fingal IBYE finalists

attending the 2-day Dublin Region IBYE

Bootcamp. The finalists will compete for a share

of the Fingal prize fund of €50,000. The Fingal

IBYE County Final takes place on Thursday 2nd

May in the Atrium in County Hall, when six local

entrepreneurs will be announced across three

categories: Best Business Idea, Best Start-Up

Business and Best Established Business. All

Councillors are invited to attend the awards in the

Atrium.

Start Your Own Business Programme (SYOB)

The fifth, 10 week Start your own Business Course

commenced in April, All courses to date are fully

subscribed with a combined total of 60

participants in attendance.

Business Development Workshops

In April, 3 Business Development Workshops were

delivered to 25 participants.To date in 2019, 208

people have participated in LEO Fingal Business

Development Workshops. The second six-week

QQI Cert in Social Media and Digital Marketing

training continued during April with 12

participants in attendance.

Plato

A new Plato programme was launched at Croke

Park on the 12th of April. Plato is an advanced 18-

month management development programme

run by the four LEOs in the Dublin region.

Thirteen Fingal companies are participating in the

programme. The previous programme (which

commenced in April 2018) will continue until

October 2019.

Food Academy

The Food Academy programme continues with

two Fingal companies enrolled on the programme

which will afford them the opportunity to secure a

space on SuperValu shelves. The FA Programme is

a training programme run by the Local Enterprise

Offices with the support of Board Bia and

SuperValu. It prepares and enables small food

producers to become suppliers to SuperValu.

Preparing for BREXIT

A series of training workshops on Customs Export

& Import Procedures designed to support clients,

addressing the customs implications of trading

with a “Third Country” (Non-EU) in advance of the

United Kingdom’s

exit from the Single Market and Customs Union

have been designed and are being rolled out to

run in two Fingal Locations; Balbriggan and

Ballycoolin. One on One Brexit Mentor sessions

also continues to support LEO clients in

preparedness for Brexit.

Business Clinics and Mentoring

Clinics are offered to individuals that wish to start

up a new enterprise or expand their existing

business. During April, 11 clinic days were

undertaken, delivering expertise to 84 businesses

in Fingal. This brings the cumulative figures for

2019 to date to 39 days clinics and 283 attendees.

In addition 51 individual Mentoring assignments

have been delivered year to date.

Trading Online Vouchers

This programme is funded by DCCAE, as part of

the National Digital Strategy, to support local and

established small businesses to enhance their

online offering. A pre-application workshop was

held in the Riasc Centre, Swords during Local

Enterprise Week 2019 with 100 participants in

attendance and the closing date for receipt of

applications was Friday 5th April. Thirteen

applications were approved to the value of

31,923. A further workshop will be held in the

Riasc Centre on Friday 17th May.

Fingal Student Enterprise Programme 2019

Preparations for the National Final of the Student

Enterprise programme continued as the three

Fingal Schools Finalists prepared to represent

Fingal in Croke Park on May 3rd 2019. Fingal

Student Enterprise Awards County Junior

Category Winner from Malahide Portmarnock

Educate Together with an enterprise called

“SpecRest”, Intermediate Category Winners from

Loreto Balbriggan with their project called “Page

Keepers” and Senior Category Winner “Bee Kind”

of St. Fintan’s High School in Sutton.

The Senior Category winner of the Fingal

competition, “Bee Kind” of St. Fintan’s High School

in Sutton participated in a two-day educational

trip to Barcelona, where the students and

teachers met with enterprising Spanish students

that are engaged on other EU-funded enterprise

development programmes.

Economic Development

Balbriggan Socio-Economic Strategy

The launch of the Our Balbriggan Plan 2019 –

2025 took place on the evening of Thursday 9th

May. The Rejuvenation Plan which contains a full

set of socio-economic plans and actions, and an

accompanying summary document can be

downloaded at www.balbriggan.ie

Re-imagining Quay Street & Bracken River green

corridor – indicative impression.

Local Community Development Committee

The Fingal LCDC in co-operation with the Fingal

PPN, sought applications from Community

Groups in Fingal for the BIG HELLO. The Fingal

LCDC approved €10,000 from the Department of

Rural and Community Development to distribute

to 20 Community Groups to support them in

running meet-your-neighbour type events over

the bank holiday weekend in May.

The Community Enhancement Programme 2019

was launched and publicised during April. Fingal

has an initial allocation of €150,000 to be granted

to community groups and associations for capital

items in the County. Closing date for applications

is 30th May.

SICAP

The SICAP Annual Plan for 2019 is currently being

implemented. The emerging need action for 2019

is ‘Children in Homelessness’.

LEADER Programme

The Fingal LEADER Programme continues to

accelerate the funding of eligible projects in the

administrative areas of Fingal, Dun Laoghaire

Rathdown and South Dublin.

Year to date, 6 Projects have been approved

totalling €82,334.86. Four of these were in Fingal

and two in South Dublin.

Overall, in the LEADER Programme to date, 50

projects have been approved, with 34 of these in

Fingal, 3 in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, and 13 in

South Dublin.

Total value of overall approved projects to date is

€ 1,437,061.93

During the month, Fingal County Council

continued to deliver the additional financial and

administrative oversight responsibilities for the

approval and drawdown of LEADER funded

projects following the national transfer of the

LEADER Article 48 Administrative Checks from

Pobal to the Local Authority Sector.

Enterprise Centres

Occupancy rates at the Council’s three enterprise

centres in April 2019 were Drinan 97%, BASE 91%

and Beat 88%. The three Enterprise Centres

currently support 69 businesses and 342 jobs.

OPERATIONS

Contents

Street Lighting

Traffic

Traffic Management Schemes

Bridge Rehabilitation

Corporate Responsibility Programme

Programme of Works

Tyrellstown Park

Commemorative Grove

St. Catherine’s Park

Footpath Improvements

Hires Put in Place

Street Lighting

Works Programme: In April 2019 perimeter and

car park lighting is switched on at the Lusk Sports

Hub to cater for the many sports clubs availing of

the facility throughout the year. A central

management system has been installed which

can control night time lighting levels depending

on user activity and training requirements as

required.

Lusk Sports Hub

LED Upgrade Programme: In April the LED

Upgrade Program 603 LED Upgrade works were

carried out in the following locations:-

Cardy Rock, Curran Park, Dun Saithne

Estate, Flemington Park, Georges Hill,

Pinewood Green Avenue/ Close/ Court/

Heath/Hill/Lawn/ Road…Balbriggan

Barnewall Avenue/Crescent…Donabate

Brook Lane, Hand Park, Palmer Road,

St Catherines Avenue/Close/Court/

Crescent/Drive/Green/Grove/Lawn/Park/

View/Way, The Cairn…Rush

Churchfield Close/Lawn, Downside

Heights/Park, Fox Grove, Martine Court,

Station Road, The Maltings…Skerries

Corduff Avenue/Close/Crescent/Green/

Grove/ Park/Place/Way…Blanchardstown

Ceanchor Road, Kitestown Road…Howth

Traffic

Speed Limit Review

The Speed Limit Review for Fingal County is

ongoing at present. As part of this review further

30 km/h Slow Zones will be provided throughout

the county to help make our housing estates safer

for all.

Traffic Management Schemes

2018 Signals Contract – The 2018 Signals Contract

is now near completion. All civil works and road

markings are complete on all 8 sites with only

anti-skid surfacing to be laid now at Turvey

Avenue when weather conditions are suitable.

Landscaping works remains to to be carried out at

some sites to finalise the work.

Donabate, Portrane Road Signals – Anti-Skid

Installed.

2019 Traffic Signal Contract – The contract

documents for the 2019 Traffic Signal Contract

are near completion. The documents are being

finalised at the present and it is intended to go to

tender in May.

2019 Traffic Signals Upgrades – Upgrade works

are ongoing at various sites around Fingal with

the Knockmaroon Hill and Sutton Park signal

junctions completed in April.

Knockmaroon Hill - Traffic Signals Upgrades

Sutton Park - Traffic Signals Upgrades

30kph signs – The 30kph signage has been

delivered to the depots. The signs are being

installed by the depot crews as resources allow,

this work commenced in January 2019.

2019 VAS Signage Contract – Documents for the

2019 VAS Signage are currently being drawn up.

It is intended to put this contract out to tender in

the coming weeks.

oad markings were completed on Somerton Lane.

2019 Footpath Contract – The 2018 Footpath

Contract is complete. This contract included the

improvement of school warden crossings, the

dishing of footpaths and minor realignment of

some footpaths. The 2019 contract is currently

underway and is also being carried out by the

direct labour crew. As part of this contract 2 new

bus stops were installed on the Ongar Distributor

Road for Dublin Bus. Other projects include the

realignment of footpaths and lining for a mini

roundabout at the junction of the Feltrim Road

and Kettles Lane and the improvement of a

crossing from Station Road Portmanock to the

Drumnigh Road.

2018 Ramps Contract – The 2018 Ramps Contract

is near complete with the final ramps installed on

Rugged Lane, Dublin 15 and only permanent

markings to be installed these ramps.

Ramps Contract - Rugged Lane, Dublin 15

2019 Ramps Contract –The traffic management

schemes will be brought, as headed items, to the

three area committee meetings. The Schemes

were brought to the ACM’s in March/April.

Approval was given at the ACM’s for the Schemes

to be put on public display for 4 weeks which is

now drawing to a close in May.

Bridge Rehabilitation

Work is progressing on the following:

The tender for Consultants for 2019

Bridge Rehabilitation was advertised on

January16th

2019. Consultant namely

O’Connor Sutton Cronin Appointed mid-

March 2019.

Procurement of engaging a contractor for

2018 bridges advertised on 16th

of January

2019. Tender submission extended to 27th

of February 2019. Consultant assessing

the Tenders.

The Ivy removal contract for the 2019

Bridges is awarded on 5th

of February

2019. Works completed.

Procurement of Consultants to carry out

Bridge Principal Inspections will be carried

out after preparing bridges category

spread sheet

Corporate Responsibility Programme

Operations Department facilitating Hertz

complete one of their Corporate Responsibility

Programmes planting Pollinator beds in

Rivervalley, Swords.

Progress continues on the 2019

Programme of Works

Top: Cherry Park - Rathingle Road, Swords

Bottom Left: Church Road Resurfacing

Bottom Right: Footpath Repairs Lusk

Installation of Smart Benches George’s Square

Balbriggan, Echlin Court Rush, Church Street

Skerries with additional benches to be provided in

Swords and Donabate.

New Bike Parking facilities installed in Castleknock

Village and Porterstown Park

Tyrellstown Park

The Operations Department in the Dublin 15 area

worked closely with Tyrellstown Cricket Club in

the development of an all-weather cricket crease

in Tyrellstown Park. The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar

officially launched the pitch on 30th

March 2019.

St. Catherine’s Park, Lucan - Woodland

A total of 750 whips (Irish Oak) have been planted

in St. Catherine’s Park.

Once a common feature in Ireland, there are only

small number of oak woodlands in Ireland at this

stage. The creation of a native Oak Woodland of

Irish provenance within St. Catherine’s Park

provides a welcome addition to the existing

woodlands of the park and its surrounding

ecology.

A woodland of this size will provide an important

sink for carbon which will be stored in both the

timber and soil. It will also contribute to the

reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The woodland will be a great addition to the

visual beauty of St. Catherine’s Park.

Footpath improvements

Works were carried out at Fortlawn, Huntstown &

Mountview Road by the crews of the

Castleknock/Mulhuddart Operations Department.

Operations Department launch Commemorative

Grove, Malahide Demesne by Mayor Anthony

Lavin and Councillor Eoghan O’Brien

On Saturday, 6th

April 2019, twenty Oak trees

were planted in a dedicated meadow within

Malahide Demesne for citizens of Fingal, in

memory of their loved ones to launch

Commemorative Grove. Each Irish Oak tree has

a unique ID number that is displayed on the tree.

Commemorative Grove offers these citizens a

space with a dedicated bench surrounded by

these meaningful commemorative trees.

Hires put in Place

There were 62 hires put in place from 1st April – 30th April 2019, engaging 19 suppliers.

Included in these were:

Hire of Concrete Bottle and Tractor for

Bayside Pump Station

Hire of Teleporter, 180° Backhoe

Excavator and Tractor with Trailer for

Beach Cleaning and Burial Grounds

Hire of VMS and Traffic Management for

the Opening of Rogerstown Park

PLANNING AND STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE (PSI)

Contents

Planning Activity

Building Control

Project Talamh

Fingal Coastal Way

Rathbeale Road Upgrade

Ongar-Barnhill Road

Donabate Footbridge

NTA Allocations

Drumanagh Community Dig 2019

BuildingControl/Taking in Charge

Development Management/Forward Planning (Water Services)

PLANNING ACTIVITY

Planning Applications

There have been 409 planning applications

received to the end of April 2019, 37 of these

applications were invalid leaving a total of 372

valid applications. The volume of applications

received by area is illustrated below:

Planning Decisions

A total of 397 planning decisions have been made

to the end of April 2019. There have been 325

decisions to grant permission (82%) and 72

refusals of permission (18%). There have been 25

grants of permissions in respect of single house

construction, 180 grants of permission for

domestic extensions, 89 commercial/retail grants

of permission and 12 grants of permission in

respect of housing developments - 7 of which

related to development 50 - 100 housing units

and 5 of which related to developments of 2-20

housing units.

Building Control

There have been 58 Disability Access Certificates

submitted to the end of April 2019, of these 29

were granted and 5 are currently on time

extension. There have been 88 Fire Safety

Certificates submitted to the end of April 2019, of

these 21 were granted, 1 was invalidated and 32

are currently on time extension.

Project Talamh – Lands at Ballymastone,

Donabate:

The development of the strategic land bank at

Ballymastone, Donabate is focused on delivering

a successful and sustainable community through

the provision of a mixed tenure residential

development, and physical and social

infrastructure, as well as improving connections

between the new and existing communities. The

tender process in respect of the site at

Ballymastone, Donabate commenced in October

2018. Stage 1 of the process is now complete and

5 Candidates have been invited to participate in

the next stage. Following the submission of the

Candidates’ Outline Solutions, the Council will

enter into dialogue discussions with the

Candidates on the proposals for developing the

site. The development must meet the

requirements of the Fingal Development Plan

2017 – 2023, the Donabate Local Area Plan 2016 –

2022 and relevant planning and development and

environmental legislation. Information sessions

for Councillors will be ongoing as the project

progresses.

109

125 93

82 Balbriggan

Castleknock

Malahide

Swords

Fingal Coastal Way:

Our project team has commenced the data

collection and environmental constraints studies

for this 32km scheme and the April meeting of the

Planning & Strategic Infrastructure SPC received

an overview presentation of this ambitious

project.

Rathbeale Road Upgrade:

Jons Civil Engineering has been appointed to

undertake this joint FCC-LIHAF funded project.

Jons site team is currently in the pre-mobilisation

phase and, in conjunction with the FCC project

team, pre-start local liaison and consultation is

ongoing including a letter drop and a meeting

with the local schools authorities.

Ongar-Barnhill Road:

A total of eleven contractors submitted

prequalification submissions for this project, and

the documents are currently being assessed with

a view to short-listing five contractors for the

tender/pricing stage.

Donabate Footbridge:

Preliminary design, environmental assessment

and planning documentation is being prepared to

support a Part 8 planning application later this

year for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across

the Dublin-Belfast railway line just south of the

Hearse Road, Donabate.

NTA Allocations:

FCC received a welcome allocation of €3m from

the National Transport Authority in support of our

ambitious programme of sustainable transport

schemes around the county. In total, eleven

projects received funding under the Sustainable

Transport Measures Grants programme, in the

largest round of funding we have received since

this funding programme began in 2011. The

funding will support key projects such as the

Broadmeadow Way, Snugborough Interchange

Upgrade, Royal Canal Urban Greenway, Sutton to

Malahide Greenway and Harry Reynolds Road

Cycle Route.

Drumanagh Community Dig 2019

Fingal County Council’s Community Archaeologist

was invited to showcase the the Council’s

methodology for delivering community

archaeology at the Institute of Archaeologist of

Ireland Conference 2019. The community

archaeology programme is unique nationally,

progressive in the field of community archaeology

and a successful model to other regions.

The Drumanagh Archaeological Advisory Group

met at the start of April to review progress on the

implementation of the objectives of the

Drumanagh Conservation Study and

Management Plan 2018-2023, and to compliment

Fingal County Council on its commitment to

community archaeology. The Advisory Groups

consists of the Chief Archaeologist at the

Department of Culture, Heritage and the

Gaeltacht, Head of Conservation at the Heritage

Council, Keeper of Irish Antiquities at the National

Museum of Ireland, and representatives of the

country’s universities.

Ministerial Consent has been attained by the

Community Archaeologist and Season 2 of

Digging Drumanagh will be undertaken between

15-29 May 2019 with post-excavation in Swords

Castle between 4-11 June. Inter-departmental

collaboration is an essential part of setting up

such an event, and the Community Archaeologist

would like to convey her thanks to the Operations

Department and the Biodiversity Officer for their

assistance.

Building Control/Taking in Charge

Taking in Charge of Legacy Developments

– Frameworks of services providers have

now been established, with a view to

preparing and effecting site resolution on

developments which FCC plans to

progress to the Taking in Charge Statutory

process. Through these frameworks,

seven developments have now got full site

resolution plans and costings, and we are

actively seeking bond funding.

Taking in Charge – two

estates/infrastructure have been TIC so

far in 2019.

Building Control Inspectors undertook

more than 18 first time inspections of

sites during April 2019, as well as multiple

repeat inspections. Inspections are

targeted with a risk based approach in

accordance with government policy.

Recent government circulars with regards

to fire safety have been incorporated into

our inspections. ‘Bringing Back Homes’

policy has added another area of focus

with regard to the re-use of commercial

units without the requirement for

planning permission.

Development Management/Forward Planning

(Water Services)

Flood Risk Assessments and Drainage

Strategies to inform Local Area Plans (LAP)

- FCC staff are currently managing the

tendering and preparation of the surface

water management plans to inform

Dublin Airport LAP, Kinsealy LAP,

Castlelands LAP, Kellystown LAP,

Swords masterplans, Churchfield

framework, Powerstown framework and

Cappaghfinn.

Pre-planning consultations – during

October staff from Forward Planning

(Water Services) have engaged with more

than nine developers at pre-planning

stage to discuss issues related to the

provision of water services and to ensure

the implementation of sustainable

drainage systems on site. Staff are

currently engaged at pre-planning stage

on 22 Strategic Housing Developments.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY (H&C)

Con Contents tents

Housing

Pillars I-V

Community

Sports

Arts

Libraries

Social Strategy 2020/Rebuilding Ireland

The Council delivered 4,592 homes since the start

of the Housing Strategy 2020/ReBuilding Ireland.

The units were delivered over the various delivery

mechanisms and do not include units approved

for delivery.

During 2018 there were 1,953 social housing units

delivered and the expenditure in relation to the

housing delivery programme was in the order of

€100m.

Social Housing Delivery Targets 2019

By letter dated 12th

March, 2019 the Minister for

Housing, Planning & Local Government outlined

the 2019 social housing delivery targets set for

each local authority. The overall total to be

delivered by Fingal County Council during 2019

has been set at 2,184 housing units which is an

increase of 20% on targets set for 2018. The

letter from the Minister and details of the targets

set have been circulated to Councillors.

Pillar 1: Address Homelessness

Fingal County Council is currently in contact with

circa 609 families who are in homeless

circumstances or at risk of homelessness.

135 families have had their homeless

circumstances alleviated in 2019 to the end

of April (including 100 Homeless HAP tenancies),

with further tenancy arrangements to conclude

shortly through the various forms of social

housing support.

Tenancy Support is provided through supports

such as SLI (Support to Live Independently) and

varying other supports to ensure new tenancies

are sustained. Homeless Prevention advice

continues to be offered through the Council’s

Homeless Team in partnership with Threshold

Clinics and the Threshold Freephone service.

Housing Assistance Payment

867 Homeless HAP tenancies have been put in

place since the Dublin Region HAP Pilot scheme

came into effect in 2015 with further tenancies in

the process of being finalised

A total of 1560 tenancies are now in place under

Mainstream HAP, 230 of which came into effect in

2019 to date, with further tenancy arrangements

in the process of being finalised.

Pillar 2: Accelerate Social Housing

Construction Programme

The current position with the construction

programme is set out below.

No. Schemes No. Units

Delivered to Date 10 200

Active Social Housing Projects:

Contractor on

Site/Appointed

7 182

Tender Stage 4 60

Pre-Planning

Approval

11 525

TOTAL

CONSTRUCTION

PROGRAMME

32 961

Masterplan/Land Management Plan sites are not

included in the above figures.

The Council are in the process of bringing forward

initial phases of both the lands at Cappagh and

Church Fields. The Area Committee were briefed

on these housing proposals recently.

Acquisitions Programme

Delivered to Date 32 properties closed in

2019

Pending Sales Closing 70

Repair and Leasing Scheme & Buy and Renew

The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) and the Buy

and Renew (B&R) schemes target vacant private

properties in the County. Both schemes provide

initiatives for the owners in order for the Council

to secure the properties for social housing. These

properties should be long-term vacant or derelict.

Fingal County Council is interested in discussing

leasing and purchasing options with owners of

these properties.

Part V.

Activity in this area has increased with the upturn

in construction and early on-site delivery of units

is the approach in Part V negotiations with

developers.

Reporting on Part V agreements is provided

quarterly to the Area Committees.

A total of 237 Part V housing units have been

delivered over the life of the strategy to date.

Approved Housing Bodies

The Approved Housing Bodies continue to play an

important role in the delivery of social housing

and the Council continues to work closely with

AHB’s operating in the County.

The Council facilitates Approved Housing Bodies

in the management of funding applications under

the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) and Capital

Advance Leasing Facility Scheme (CALF) funding

schemes.

Traveller Accommodation Programme

The Draft Traveller Accommodation Programme

2019 – 2023 went on public display on 1st

April

and the closing date for submissions is 31st

May in

accordance with DHPLG guidelines.

Pillar 3: Build More Homes

Affordable Dwelling Purchase Arrangements

The Affordable Dwelling Purchase Scheme is a

national initiative that will see affordable homes

built on state owned land in co-operation with

local authorities.

In order to underpin progress in the area of

affordable housing, the Minister for Housing,

Planning and Local Government commenced Part

5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act,

2009 on 18th June 2018, the effect of which was

to put in place new legislative provisions for

affordable dwelling purchase arrangements.

In accordance with this legislation, a Scheme of

Priority must be adopted by the Council before

18th

June, 2019. A draft Scheme of Priority will be

presented at this meeting for adoption.

Church Fields, Dublin 15

The Land Management Plan for the Church Field

lands has been developed and provides for the

optimal layout and future sustainable

development of the lands and provided for a

mixed tenure residential development with

associated community facilities. Approaches to

housing delivery on the strategic land bank at

Church Fields, Dublin 15 are being examined, with

the Project Talamh Programme Office conducting

economic and financial modelling and analysis.

An initial phase of the housing development of

Church Fields was approved recently. The next

phase of development will be brought forward for

approval shortly. Funding has been approved

under the Serviced Sites Fund to enable delivery

of key road and green infrastructure to facilitate

the development of the site.

Land Development Agency

The recently established Land Development

Agency (LDA) has identified two land banks

located in Fingal which it proposes to focus on

immediately to unlock their potential to yield over

1,000 homes between both sites. The sites are;

Castlelands in Balbriggan

Hackettstown in Skerries

These sites are in the Land Aggregation Scheme

and currently in the ownership of the

Housing Agency. The Council have been working

with the LDA and the Housing Agency to bring

these two sites forward for development. Both

these sites require infrastructure investment to

deliver the potential housing envisaged.

Other Development opportunities

The Housing Department are available to meet

with developers who are building across the

county with a view to exploring opportunities to

bring forward proposals to increase the supply of

social housing.

Pillar 4: Improve the Rental Sector

The total number of RAS & LTL tenancies is 821

broken down as:

Rental Accommodation Scheme Tenancies 638

Long Term Lease Tenancies 183

Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan

RIHL was launched on 1st

February 2018 and, for

those eligible, offers a choice between three

different loan products with low interest rates. At

the time of writing stage 84 persons/families have

taken up residence in their homes. The 510 RIHL

applications represent a significant upturn in

lending activity for Fingal County Council. The

approval rate is approximately 55%.

Further details and application forms available on

www.rebuildingirelandhomeloan.ie

Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan

Number of applications received to date 636

Number of applications approved to date 271

Number of applications declined to date 210

The value of the loans approved so far €59.4

million

Fingal applications in context of region (4

Dublins) 40%

Number of loans drawn down 108

Value of loans drawn down €23,973,299

Further details and application forms available on

www.rebuildingirelandhomeloan.ie including a

customer services chat room where queries can

be handled.

Vacant Homes Strategy

Following a number of newspaper and radio

features outlining the work of the Vacant Homes

Unit and advising of reporting mechanisms

available, the number of reported vacant homes

has steadily increased. Further publicity is

planned for the coming months.

CPO’s in respect of 4 long term vacant houses

have been published, and Orders have been

submitted to An Bord Pleánala. Work has

commenced to identify further units suitable for

the CPO process.

In 2019 Fingal County Council has reached

agreements to purchase 4 properties under the

Buy and Renew Scheme. Under the Repair To

Lease scheme, 9 lease agreements have been

entered into with homeowners. There is 1

contract pending and 2 applications under review.

Field testing continues on the Vacant Homes App

and has so far been successful. Following the

testing period, the app will be fully rolled out for

general use for data collection of vacant

properties. Development of the data reporting

mechanisms is ongoing with the IT Department.

Private Rented Inspections

In February 2018, all local authorities were issued

with targets for the Inspection of Private Rented

Properties by the DHPLG in conjunction with its

Strategy for the Private Rental Sector – a key

component of Rebuilding Ireland. The aim is to

increase the national average inspection rate

from 6% to 25% of registered rental properties by

2021. The targets are based on the percentage of

tenancies registered with the RTB, which within

the Fingal County Council administrative area

amounts to 20,635.

The annual targets are as follows:

2018 (10%) 2019 (15%) 2020 (20%) 2021 (25%)

2,072 3,108 4.144 5,180

During 2018 2,102 first inspections and 888

second inspections have been completed.

Inspections for 2019 are ongoing.

Pillar 5: Utilise Existing Housing

Voids

There were 64 casual voids within social housing

stock at the end of April 2019. Of these dwellings,

22 are complete and are being offered for

letting. Work is underway to 13 dwellings and the

balance is with the County Architect for the

procurement of pre-let repairs.

Planned Programmes

A tendering process has been completed in

respect of the 2019 Cyclical Maintenance

Programme ( Scheme Painting ) which including

areas of North County Dublin and Dublin 15.

Works are scheduled to commence in early May.

Boiler upgrades will continue in 2019 based on

the Council’s commitments under its Climate

Change Action Plan.

Photos from active social housing construction

schemes

Rolestown

Rathbeale Road, Swords

Community Culture & Sports Division

Community Development Office:

After a number of weeks’ preparation with

residents from Bremore Castle Estate in

Balbriggan a ‘Meet your Neighbour’ event was

held in the Flemington Community Centre on 28th

March. The group of residents worked hard to

develop a flyer and hand deliver to all the

residents in the large estate in north Balbriggan.

The emphasis of the evening was to create a

space where residents could meet each other in a

relaxed and informal way. Tea and cakes were a

key component and very positive event took place

on the night. It is hoped that the event can spark

interest in the redevelopment of the local resident

association which had become inactive. A further

series of meetings have been scheduled over the

coming months to assist the development of the

association with input from the Fingal Community

Development Officer for the area, Mick Dunne.

Balbriggan Local Election Candidates attend a

Community Engagement in Balbriggan

Local Election candidates in Balbriggan attended a

community engagement in Balbriggan on 26th

April with leaders of the migrant communities in

the town. Candidates were asked to make a short

pitch to the gathered group to state their

experience and proposed policies if elected. The

event was organised by the Balbriggan Integration

Forum and the Balbriggan African Community

and was held in Flemington Community

Centre. All candidates present on the day signed

a document stating their commitments to support

migrant communities in their work. The format

worked well and the stories of the individual

candidates were well told and very informative.

Establishment of Barnageeragh Cove & Hamilton

Hill Residents Association, Skerries, Co Dublin

Over 80 people attended a public meeting on 29th

March at Skerries Community Centre when a new

residents association was formed with officers

elected to represent Barnageeragh Cove &

Hamilton Hill, Skerries, Co Dublin. They have

come together to promote and enhance the living

environment of their area and to act as a voice for

their community in ensuring that their area is well

represented when dealing with local and

statutory agencies.

Fingal County Councils Community Office has

supported Sailing Into Wellness to deliver an

evaluated pilot sail training program for

community organisations in the Fingal area. The

primary aim is to offer sailing as a healthy and

natural solution for our communities to look after

their physical and mental well-being, while also

removing barriers to long-term participation in

the sport of sailing and highlight the Fingal coast

as a natural resource.

Participant Groups to date:-

Foroige , Blanchardstown Drug Prevention

& Education Project;

Tolka River Project, Buzzardstown,

Mulhuddart;

Coolmine Therapeutic Centre,

Blanchardstown.

Key Outcomes:-

Increase in attendance to group

programs, reduced anti-social behaviour

as reported by Community Gardai,

enjoyment of a practical learning

environment.

Positive improvement in health and well-

being, increase in completion rates of

recovery program.

Sailing as an activity is an enjoyable way to

develop skills associated with personal

development.

Fingal Comhairle na nÓg participated in Foróige’s

Fit Festival 2019 which took place in the ITB on

Thursday, 18th

April. They planned activities that

would complement their project on Healthy

Lifestyles – Tree of Hope, Letting go of stress,

Healthy snacks and received positive feedback

from the attendees at the event.

Siobhan O’Brien, Operation Transformation 2019

Leader with Fingal Comhairle na nÓg

Cruinniú na nÓg a national celebration of

creativity for children and young people will take

place on Saturday 15th

June 2019. This will be

celebrated throughout Fingal with events taking

place in libraries, a Family Event in Draoícht along

with music workshops for early years children. A

flagship event will also take place in Swords Castle

based around STEAM (Science, Technology,

Education, Arts and Maths).

Sports Office:

Primary School Athletics Final

Wednesday 10th

April saw the highlight of the

Sports Office Primary School Athletics

Programme. Approximately 2,000 students from

49 schools across Fingal took part in the event

targeted at 3rd

– 6th

classes.

The Mayor was on hand to welcome the children

and encourage them in their efforts. The children

ran representing their schools, there were no

individual winners. The winning classes/schools

were presented with a trophy and every child

received a (well deserved) medal. The event took

place on a sunny day in Morton Stadium, the

children were supported by their school friends

and numerous parents who attended to cheer

them on. In addition to the athletics on the track

the pupils had the opportunity to participate in a

range of field athletics and sports.

Schools Programmes

We continue to offer a wide range of sports

programme in schools some examples, the

schools cricket programme culminates in the

Leprechaun Cup in two sections, in addition to the

Fingal Girls Cup and 4th

Class Cup. A number of

rugby and football programmes are taking place

throughout the county including aftershools drop

ins, come and play futsal, school coaching in

conjunction with the North Dublin Schoolboys

League, blitzes and competitions. Our girls

programme continues to grow with a variety of

girls only programmes taking place throughout

the county.

Arts Office:

Room 13 Inquiry

In April a visit to MART Galleries was organised for

the participants of Room 13 Inquiry to meet and

workshop with artist Jane Fogarty. Jane’s current

exhibition explores time, form, colour &

composition through the medium of paint,

something Room 13 was keen to explore further

in the Easter workshop series. To further support

the children of Room 13 to develop their interest

and knowledge of contemporary art we provide

workshops in Draíocht for short spells during

school holidays for current or past students to

participate in artists talks and art making. There

they met with artist Geraldine O’Neill who spoke

to them about her painting practice and her work

currently on show in the main Gallery, before

responding to the new found information in

practical workshops. www.room13inquiry.ie

Room 13 participants at MART & Room 13

participants with Geraldine O’Neill at Draíocht

Artist Support Scheme Award

The Arts Office invited professional artists from

the Fingal administrative area to apply for funding

under the ‘2019 Artist Support Scheme’. In April

2019 58 awards made to artists under the scheme

amounting to a total sum of €100,000 with a total

demand for the fund of €233,236 -35% increase

on 2018 in recommended awards. The funding

allows for professional artists in Fingal to avail of

an award towards professional development

opportunities, a residency, or towards the

development of their careers as artists. The award

was open to practising artists at all stages in their

professional careers working in music, visual art,

drama, dance and literature.

Infrastructure Public Art Programme Emerging

Artist Grainne Hallahan presents her Irish Aphasia

Theatre Project

Grainne Hallahan, was supported to develop a

theatre project which engaged participants

affected with a condition called Aphasia. Aphasia

causes communication impairment, brought on

by acquired brain injury or stroke. The Arts Office

has been supporting Grainne to present and

support her ongoing research model which

demonstrates a huge benefit from engaging with

group theatre, which provokes a sense of

collective support and a chance to tell a story

through non-verbal means. The participants

worked with Grainne and her collaborators for a

period of 6 months and presented their individual

theatre works to family/friends and invited arts in

health and occupational therapy specialists as a

new model of arts in health support. A film has

been made about the process and is currently

being presented within healthcare settings.

Drawing a Breath with Beth – A Mindful Drawing

Programme

Artist Beth O’Halloran has been working with an

ethnically diverse group of women who meet

once a week in Tyrrelstown Community Centre to

offer support, friendship and advice to one

another. Originally from countries throughout the

world such as Africa, Italy and China, The women

all live in Dublin 15 and are mothers and

grandmothers to children attending the local

schools. Meeting together instils confidence and

provides a sense of well-being which has a great

knock-on effect for their families. Beth is tapping

into the groups artistic interests and facilitating

the development of creative skills through a

series of mindful drawing workshops.

The women share the personal stories behind

their new work with artist Beth O’Halloran.

LIBRARIES

Local Studies and Archives move to 46 North

Street, Swords

Visitors and researchers have been welcomed to

the new Local Studies and Archives building at 46

North Street, Swords which opened on 23rd April

2019. The new location is in the heart of the

developing Swords Cultural Quarter. A

programme of events for the year is being

planned, including a project to develop links

between Local Studies and Archives and post-

primary schools in Fingal. There is presently an

exhibition marking 120 Years of Local

Government on display in the Atrium at County

Hall which includes the Dublin County Council

chain of office and the minutes of the first

meeting of Dublin County Council on 2nd May

1899.

Library users at Howth, Garristown and Baldoyle

Libraries now have the option of using self-service

kiosks to borrow and return books. The roll out of

self-service is now complete in Fingal Libraries,

with all 10 branches offering this convenient

service to borrowers. The self-service kiosks are

easy to use and staff are on hand to assist if

problems arise. Library members are advised to

always bring their membership card with them to

the Library in order to avail of the self- service

option.

Self-service kiosk at Garristown Library

Fingal Libraries celebrates Bealtaine Festival 2019

The Age and Opportunity Bealtaine festival,

celebrates creativity as we age. Fingal Libraries

has produced a rich and varied programme for

this year’s Bealtaine festival, with events taking

place throughout the branch library network

during the month of May. Some of the many

highlights include:

Greyhound on a Train - a play by Carnation

Theatre, set during the war of Independence.

Talk on Gardening for Mind, Body and Spirit.

Talk on Mindful Eating, Listening, and Speaking.

Film Screening: Philomena - a woman’s search for

a son she was forced to give up for adoption.

Chair Yoga to Increase Flexibility and Reduce

Stress.

Places are limited at some of these events so

booking is required. Contact your local branch

library for more information or log onto

www.fingal.ie/events

Maker Workshops/Criunniú na nÓg at Swords

Castle on 15th June

Make, Create, Innovate, a mobile makerspace will

hold workshops for primary school children on

Monday and Tuesday afternoons at

Blanchardstown Library starting in May. This will

be a 5/6 week programme where the children will

engage in creative activities using a variety of

technologies and materials. There will also be a 5

week Saturday programme from 10am to 4pm for

12 to 16 year olds with a different project each

week. All of the work produced will be showcased

at the Fingal Criunniú na nÓg event in Swords

Castle on the 15th of June.

Libr

Library Association of Ireland/Chartered Institute

of Library & Information Professionals

Conference

On the 11th

of April, Siobhán Walshe and Barry

O’Carroll from Blanchardstown Library delivered a

paper at the LAI/CILIP conference at the Kilashee

Hotel Kildare about the Young Entrepreneurs

Club. Organised as part of the Europe Direct and

Work Matters programmes at Blanchardstown

and Balbriggan Libraries, the Club is aimed at 5th

and 6th

class students. It gives participants an

authentic experience of developing, organising

and managing a business. The presentation was

very well received with representatives from

several library authorities seeking more

information about the club.

Swords Library open for business as usual

JCs Supermarket is currently constructing a café at

Swords Library, but the library remains open for

business as usual. The opening hours are:

Mon – Thurs: 9.45am – 8pm; Fri/Sat: 9.45am –

1pm; 1.45pm – 5pm

Baldoyle Library launches Classic Film Evening

On Monday 29th April Baldoyle Library launched

its Classic Film Evening with a screening of the

acclaimed 12 Angry Men. More classic movies will

be screened at the Library over the coming

months

Other events in Libraries:

Donabate Library is holding beginner’s

Portuguese classes on Wednesdays evenings at

7pm.

A drop-in information session on Fingal Libraries

e-services will be held in Garristown Library on

23rd

May between 3pm-4pm.

A parent and toddler group meets every Thursday

morning, from 10.00 – 10.45am at Malahide

Library.

Maighread Medbh will give a poetry workshop on

Tuesday 28th May at Swords Library from 5.50 to

7.50pm.

A very satisfied customer at an arts/environmental

event organised by staff at Howth Library during April

ENVIRONMENT & WATER SERVICES (EWS)

Contents

Environment

Environmental Awareness

Circular Economy

Annual Bathing Water Quality

Litter Management

Waste Management

Climate Change

Aircraft Noise Competent Authority

Waste Enforcement

Anti- Dumping Initiative 2019

Water Services

Operations

ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Awareness

The Fingal Biodiversity Awareness Project is well

underway. Leaflets and booklets from the

National Biodiversity Data Centre are available to

Fingal residents/ businesses and community

members. Those being targeted are community

groups, Tidy Towns, residents groups, garden

centres, Adopt a Patch & Greener Community

groups, faith centres, landscaping companies,

PPN, men’s sheds, community gardens and more

– as part of the ‘All-Ireland Pollinator Plan’. We are

using and developing social media to get the word

out about bees and what they need to thrive. We

will be using the bus shelters throughout the

summer for spreading the word and call to action.

Everyone can assist in this plan. Its three main

actions are:

1. Reduce mowing – stop trying to “tidy up” the

countryside, 2. Reduce harmful spraying and 3.

Plant pollen-rich flowers.

Dublin Community Clean-Up Day on April 27th

was

a huge success in Fingal with communities all over

Dublin collecting waste and litter from their areas

and along the coastline. This was a great project

organised by An Taisce/ Clean Coasts, the four

Dublin LA’s and other woodlands and canals

groups.

Annual Bathing Water Quality

1. Bathing Water Classification for 2019 Season

The classification is derived from the previous four years’ water quality data (namely 2015 to 2018.)

Beach Name Status 2019 Change from 2018

1 Balbriggan, Front Beach

Sufficient

2 Skerries, South Beach

Good

3 Loughshinny Beach

Good

4 Rush, South Beach Sufficient

5 Rush, North Beach Good

6 Portrane, The Brook Beach

Poor

7 Donabate, Balcarrick Beach

Sufficient

8 Portmarnock, Velvet Strand Beach

Excellent

9 Sutton, Burrow Beach

Excellent

10 Howth, Claremont Beach

Sufficient

Four beaches have improved in water quality

status since 2018 and only one beach (Portrane) is

at ‘Poor’ status. No bathing water underwent a

reduction in water quality status.

A Management Plan for the ‘Poor’ status beach at

The Brook, Portrane has been submitted for

approval to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This details the short and longer term measures

to be implemented to address potential pollution

sources at this location. The Plan also outlines

the communication strategy to promote public

awareness of the ‘Poor’ status. An all season

advisory notice “Not to Swim” will be in place at

The Brook, Portrane again in 2019 (the 3rd

consecutive year). In the event, of a bathing

water being classified as ‘Poor’ for 5 consecutive

years it must be permanently closed for the

season to swimming as per Environmental

Protection Agency Guidance on the Management

of Poor Bathing Waters.

Information on the results of water quality

sampling undertaken at Fingal beaches is

available to view during the bathing season at

www.beaches.ie and is posted on noticeboards at

the beaches.

2. Blue Flag Awards 2019

Fingal have submitted a Blue Flag Award

application for Velvet Strand Beach, Portmarnock

for the 2019 season.

Circular Economy

On April 30th

the Minister for Communications,

Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton

T.D. launched a €600,000 funding opportunity for

novel approaches to promote the circular

economy, maximise resource efficiency and

reduce waste.

It will fund innovators to develop and

demonstrate business-ready solutions in the

circular economy for consumers and for

commercial clients. This funding call is a key part

of Ireland’s National Waste Prevention

Programme which is led by the EPA.

Further information on the National Waste

Prevention Programme and the funding call –

“Green Enterprise – Innovation for a Circular

Economy” is available on the EPA website:

www.epa.ie

Litter Management

A total of 91 litter fines were issued in April. 36

were issued in the Balbriggan/Swords Electoral

Area, 8 issued in the Howth/Malahide EA and 47

in the Castleknock/Mulhuddart EA.

25 Warning Notices were also issued in April. In

addition to this there were also 20 prosecutions

taken in April.

Litter Management Plan 2019 -2021

The Draft Litter Management Plan 2019 – 2021

considered at the Environment and Water

Services SPC on the 30th

April and was

recommended for adoption by the Full Council.

Waste Management Services

Balleally Landfill

On 27th

April Fingal County Council formally

opened Rogerstown Park, which is located on the

site of the former Balleally Landfill between Lusk

and Rush.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin,

performed the opening ceremony and those

present got the opportunity to visit the upper

section of the new park which has spectacular

views of the North Dublin coastline.

Rogerstown Park is being opened on a staged

basis with the upper section being open to the

public on Saturdays only from 9.30am to 5pm for

the remainder of 2019. Subsequent sections will

open from 2020 onwards as works progress to

completion. Plans to address accessibility from

Rush and Lusk will also be addressed and

Rogerstown Park will be included in an overall

Estuary Management Plan with possible links

across the Estuary to Donabate being considered

as part of this process.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin, said at

the event: “Fingal is a county that likes to be a

leader of innovation and environmental

responsibility and we are delighted to be one of

the first counties to officially open one of their

former landfills as a public park. Today`s opening

is the culmination of a 10-year programme of

restoration of this former landfill site which has

been in operation, in one form or another, since

the late 1960s. Rogerstown Park has now shown

the way in what can be achieved with older

landfill sites by handing them back to the local

communities to be enjoyed as amenities for the

beneficial use of their local residents.”

Cllr Brian Dennehy, Chair of the Balleally Landfill

Liaison Committee, said: “Rogerstown Park will

provide access to stunning views, allow families,

walkers and joggers to come and relax and

provide the local area with an asset which they

can be proud of. Local people can take a high

degree of confidence that the landfill is, and has

been, managed well and the Balleally Landfill

Liaison Committee has worked hard to ensure

that this site has been finished to the highest

possible standard. The work of the Balleally

Landfill Liaison Committee over the past number

of years has been a crucial part of the success

story that is Rogerstown Park today.”

Climate Change Action Plan

A Draft Chief Executive’s Report &

Recommendations which summarises and details

the outcome of the public consultation process

for the Draft Climate Change Action Plan has been

prepared.

A total of 120no submissions were received as

part of the consultation process. The submissions

demonstrated strong public support for actions

on climate change.

The Environmental & Water Services SPC

considered the Draft CE Report at their Meeting

on Tuesday 30th

April 2019, and has

recommended that then Draft Climate Change

Action Plan be Approved by the Full Council

Aircraft Noise Competent Authority

The Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Bill

2018 is currently being finalised by the

Oireachtas. The Bill designates Fingal County

Council as the competent authority for the

purposes of Aircraft Noise Regulation at Dublin

Airport and provides that the functions of the

competent authority will be performed by the

Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive will be legally responsible for

the performance of the functions as prescribed by

the Bill once finalised and enacted into Irish

law. In this regard, arrangements are already

underway putting in place the additional staffing

requirements for the performance of the new

function. Tenders have been received for the

provision of Aviation Noise Expert Consultancy

Services relating to Aviation Noise & Acoustics,

and these are being assessed at present.

Waste Enforcement

National Waste Enforcement Priorities

Quarter 2, 2019 will focus on illegal waste activity

and unaccounted for waste, and in particular

“Man in the Van” type services advertised through

social media sites, leaflets, local newspapers and

websites. The identification of illegal waste

collection services across all media will be

examined with a view to targeted action involving

removal of ads, an education and awareness

campaign and investigative monitoring to help

prevent the illegal movement and dumping of

waste within Fingal.

Construction and demolition waste management

plans and the movement of construction &

demolition waste is also a key focus and national

priority for Quarter 2, 2019. Construction waste

management plans at large developments and

public projects will be assessed in conjunction

with the movement of certain waste streams to

and from licenced facilities.

In collaboration with the National Waste

Collection Permit Office (NWCPO) all licenced

facilities and waste collection permit holders will

be assessed during Quarter 2 in terms of annual

waste returns (desktop validations) with follow on

site audits proposed at selected facilities. Waste

data for 2018 will be assessed and verified to

ensure that waste streams were correctly

classified with clear traceability for the movement

of waste from source to destination sites for all

waste activities.

Anti-Dumping Initiative 2019

5 applications totalling €59k were made by

Environment & Operations under the Anti –

Dumping Initiative 2019. These applications were

across the 4 headings of Prevention, Abatement,

Education and Enforcement.

WATER SERVICES

Operations

Water and Drainage Services continue to be

provided as agreed in the Service Level

Agreement with Irish Water.

CORPORATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNANCE (CAG)

Contents

Corporate Affairs

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Chief Executive – A word of thanks

CORPORATE AFFAIRS

Scéim Teanga - Cúrsaí oiliúna sa Ghaeltacht Irish

Language Gaeltacht Courses

Tá scéim curtha i bhfeidhm ag Comhairle Contae

Fhine Gall inar féidir le baill foirne freastal ar oiliúint

Ghaeilge sa Ghaeltacht, agus 9 mball foirne ag

freastal i mbliana. Cabhróidh sé seo le seirbhís a

sholáthar do dhaoine den phobal ar mian leo a ngnó

a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge.

Fingal County Council has introduced a scheme

where staff members can attend a week’s Irish

Language training in in the Gaeltacht, with 9

members of Staff attending this year. This will

assist in the provision of a service to members of

the public who wish to conduct their business

through the Irish language.

A Word of Thanks from the Chief Executive

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the

businesses and communities of Fingal, the Elected

Members and all management and staff for what

has been a privileged 5 years as Chief Executive.

FINANCE

Contents

Valuation of Irish Water Infrastructure

Financial Reports

Valuation of Irish Water infrastructure

A Ministerial Order was signed earlier this year

instructing the Valuation Office to proceed with

the valuation of Irish Water’s infrastructure. As

was advised to Members previously this is likely

to have significant financial implications for the

2020 budget with the possible loss of €5.4m in

income. The Order states that the valuation is to

be entered into the central valuation list by the

18th

October, 2019 which means that rates will be

levied on Irish Water from the 1st

. January,

2020. However as Fingal is currently being

revalued, with new valuations also effective from

2020, our rates income for 2020 is capped at the

2019 levels adjusted by a specific formula.

We have engaged at a senior level within the

DHPLG on this issue and its implications for FCC

with a view to them ensuring a solution is put in

place that will result in no loss of income to FCC.

They are currently reviewing the matter and we

will keep members updated on this issue as we

move through the budgetary process.

Financial Reports

Refer to Appendix 1 for the following reports:-

Revenue Account Income &

expenditure to 30th

April, 2019

Capital Account Income &

Expenditure to 30th

April, 2019

Summary of Corporate Debtors to

30th

April, 2019

NET

Expenditure

€

Adopted Full

Year Budget

€

% Budget

Spent to

date

Income

€

Adopted Full

year Budget

€

% Budget

Raised €

A Housing & Building 19,360,483 55,374,400 35% 19,001,735 54,644,700 35% 358,748

B Road Transport & Safety 7,175,909 22,753,599 32% 2,160,983 6,606,600 33% 5,014,926

C Water Services 5,930,670 14,421,200 41% 5,772,029 17,344,100 33% 158,640

D Development Management 4,130,327 14,559,300 28% 1,540,954 4,103,300 38% 2,589,374

E Environmental Services 12,978,972 40,451,101 32% 1,477,838 4,615,000 32% 11,501,135

F Recreation & Amenity 11,554,839 33,719,101 34% 720,067 1,672,800 43% 10,834,772

G Agriculture, Education, Health & Welfare 262,521 908,500 29% 93,004 251,100 37% 169,517

H Miscellaneous Services 3,166,556 9,985,800 32% 3,619,675 11,191,300 32% -453,119

J Central Management Charge 12,455,076 45,132,499 28% 934,555 2,814,500 33% 11,520,521

LG Local Property Tax / GPG 2,508,233 7,524,700 33% -2,508,233

RA Rates 42,179,133 126,537,400 33% -42,179,133

77,015,354 237,305,500 32% 80,008,206 237,305,500 34% -2,992,853

REVENUE ACCOUNT INCOME & EXPENDITURE SUMMARY BY SERVICE DIVISION at 30th April 2019

EXPENDITURE INCOME

Balance at

01/01/2019

€

Balance at

30/04/2019

Current debt

€

> 1 Year

€

RATES 6,197,537 85,508,079 80,913,820 4,594,259

LOANS 1,310,476 1,333,842 382,820 951,022

RENTS 4,246,486 4,293,457 2,481,957 1,811,500

Figures for rents and loans are unadjusted by credits/prepayments

SUMMARY OF CORPORATE DEBTORS TO 30/04/2019

Exterior View of Refurbished Casino building - groundworks partially complete.

Entrance Hallway of the newly refurbished Casino building

View of the ‘Fry’ Room

Close-up of Model Railway on Display

Sample Display and Information boards

Refurbished Georgian Window in the Casino

Views of the refurbished staff canteen, County Hall, Swords